For pilots, having instant access to data about their aircraft is crucial to safely navigating the skies. Researchers at Georgia Tech are working on a technology that could generate information at an unprecedented level of detail.

When Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. announced plans to purchase scores of new airplanes from Airbus and Bombardier, the carrier made clear its focus was on remaking its fleet with lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

What if your medical diagnosis and treatment could be further informed by the experience of millions of other patients, including those who not only had similar symptoms, but perhaps also were your age, gender, ethnicity — and with similar medical history?